[Seattle Sights] An Enthralling Experience at the Seattle Art Museum

May 13, 2020May 12, 2020Leave a comment

“Art, at the dawn of human culture, was a key to survival, a sharpening of the faculties essential to the struggle for existence. Art, in my opinion, has remained a key to survival.” – Herbert Read

Located in the heart of Downtown Seattle near the Seattle Aquarium, Pike Place Market and steps from the Starbucks Reserve and colorful bane of my germaphobe existence – the historically disgusting gum wall, the Seattle Art Museum sits surrounded by towering skyscrapers and moody skies – depending on the time of year at least. One of three sister facilities with the Seattle Asian Art Museum and the Olympic Sculpture Park, the Seattle Art Museum opened it’s doors in 1993 and plays host to over 25,000 unique pieces of fine art, sculpture, pottery, design and experimental immersive exhibits from around the world.

Many Art Museums tend to lay their focus on the European, or Western, historic artistic influence – but one of the many wonderful things about the SAM, is their focus on art and artists from around the globe, and because of that have renowned and fantastic collections of African, Native American, Aboriginal, Oceanic and Islamic Art in addition to more traditional collections of Modern, American and European art.

I was lucky enough to go at a time where there were two fantastic exhibits – which have both catapulted to personal favorites after the Yayoi Kasuma Infinity Rooms at the Broad, and the Crystal Bridges Museum of Art in Bentonville, Arkansas. Finally, at the age of 34, I saw my first Georgia O’Keeffe collection in person and found the colors, shadows and textures mesmerizing and meditative; needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed viewing a retrospective of her body of work.

Another favorite rooms in the SAM was the Porcelain Room; an exquisite collection, immaculately laid out in a wonderfully chromatic aesthetic. Brought in from around the globe, many of the pieces on view can be dated back as far as the 17th century – and are dichotomous and beautifully paired with modern retrospective kiosks which can engage and educate you on each piece. Photos simply can’t do the room justice, either; the innocently creme and pastel colors, paired intricate attention to detail on each individual piece, makes the entire collection even more stunning to take in.

I don’t know what it is about art that works up an appetite for wine, but every time after I go to a museum – I come away with a silly cultured craving for some bubbles and snacks, and couldn’t have been more thrilled to discover Purple Cafe + Wine Bar just a hop, skip and a jump from the museum. Featuring a fantastic array of flights, it’s the perfect afternoon beverage and snack break, and they also have an incredible menu if you’re looking for a full meal.

For a sneak peak into the Seattle Art Museum, peep this fantastic new concept – the First Thursdays Virtual Art Walk hosted by the adorably engaging duo behind By The Hour.

In every corner of the country, albeit the world – there are many businesses that are suffering because they are agreeing to stay closed for the betterment of all of our health, and the preservation of our humanity – and our arts – for the future. If you are in a position to do so, please help your local art and music communities by donating where and when you can. To donate to the Seattle Art Museum, head here – and for more on the Seattle Art Museum, including proposed reopening schedules and practices – head to their socials:

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[LA Life] Meandering through LA’s Museum of Contemporary Art

January 17, 2018January 17, 2018Leave a comment

Dotted around the city like technicolor sprinkles on an urban cupcake, the museums of Los Angeles offer a unique artists perspective on time, culture and society. The Getty Villa gives a wonderful retrospective of Greco Roman art and architecture while the Getty proper itself is almost as well known for their immaculately groomed gardens as they are their vast collections of classical, modern and post-modern art. Venture into the Fairfax District and the La Brea Tarpit extension of the Natural History Museum thrusts you backwards through time as the LACMA descends into global contemporary and modern art, and Peterson’s Automotive Museum drives you through the history of the modern car. Then there’s downtown, with The Broad, a menagerie of museums at Exposition Park and last but certainly not least, the Museum of Contemporary Art. First, that’s not even all – and that doesn’t cover the incredible amount of art galleries and spaces like Gabba Gallery, The Container Yard and Hauser and Wirth, providing hundreds of avenues, indoors and out, to peruse a vast array of art and creativity.

One thing about art, one of the great things, like Alex Grey says in ‘The Mission of Art’,

“The artist’s mission is to make the soul perceptible. Our scientific, materialist culture trains us to develop the eyes of outer perception. Visionary art encourages the development of our inner sight. To find the visionary realm, we use the intuitive inner eye: the eye of contemplation, the eye of the soul. All the inspiring ideas we have as artists originate here.”

Each and every one of us is a visionary of sorts, with our own unique lens to observe the world with; within that, we’re all artists just waiting to find our catalyst for creativity. The art at the MOCA is wonderful, inspired, controversial and pensive – it makes you stop, think and smell the artistic roses – so to speak.

The MOCA is in close proximity to art galleries, wonderful graffiti and a lot of yummy restaurants – including a branch of the famed Lemonade right outside their lobby.For more on LA’s Museum of Contemporary Art, head to their socials – or just take a journey downtown!

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For more photos, head to my Flickr album!

[LA Life] In That Moment, I Was Infinite: A Trip Through Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirrors at The Broad

December 11, 2017December 11, 2017Leave a comment

My last few years in Los Angeles have elicited a mountain of personal growth and emotional change. In a grand sense, I’ve finally discovered myself and understand my innate needs and wants – and in the most basic, I’ve fully enjoyed being myself within each and every moment. Forever a city kitty by nurture, it turns out that I’m actually a little mountain lion by nature but the trick has been learning what keeps my soul level and balanced – a little bit of sunshine and landscapes here, some graffiti, city lights, music and art there. The most amazing thing about living in Southern California, and especially Los Angeles, is the immediate access to both – sometimes even in the same day. Just the other weekend, Danny and I took a cruise through the Angeles Crest Forest and grounded ourselves in the scenic beauty and amazing views, and this weekend we balanced it with now my favorite art exhibit I’ve ever been to – Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirrors at The Broad.

Art does a lot of things for me, but above all it provides me a new, askew and different lens to observe the world through. Whether it’s sculpture, watercolors, immersive art or sculptures – the best art forces me outside of myself to view the world from a birds eye view while diving further inside of myself in personal discovery; and I would absolutely include the Infinity Mirrors in that category. A playful experience with color and perspective, Yayoi Kusama’s excellent creative eye has created a handful of unique environments that meld your minds and opens your eyes to a vibrant, multidimensional universe.

Hailing from Nagano, Japan, Yayoi began playing with color and shapes when she was ten and it’s obvious that her love and creativity have only grown exponentially since. Considered a forerunner to the Pop Art movement that cultivated Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol, Yayoi calls her unique process “Self Obliteration”. An artist that’s as multidimensional as her work, Yayoi has foraryed from painting and watercolors to writing novels and poems, dabbling in fashion design and film direction. Since 1963, she’s been recognized for her hypnotic and mesmerizing Mirror / Infinity Room environments. Featured at international museums as both a traveling and permanent exhibit, fans will be excited to know that the Yayoi Kusama has officially opened in Tokyo, Japan – if you’re up for the adventure.

For now, Yayoi’s current works are being featured in a 50 year retrospective that’s on rotation between several museums across the United States. Originally at Washington DC’s Smithsonian Hirshhorn Museum + Sculpture Garden, the exhibit then traveled to the Seattle Art Museum over the Summer before landing at Los Angeles’s Broad Museum. In March, Yayoi’s works will travel to the Art Gallery of Ontario and then finally land at the Cleveland Museum of Art in July of 2018.

For me, this was an experience I absolutely had to document – from room to room, I was moved phenomenally and entranced by my surroundings. But, I also put my phone down and just was wowed by it all – and I highly suggest both for you, too. Due to a high volume of interest there are no more reserved spots for the Infinity Mirrors – but the Broad Museum does offer standby tickets for those willing to wait.

For more about Yayoi Kusama‘s Infinity Mirrors, the Broad Museum and their contemporary collection of art, head to their site and socials –

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[Traveling Tales] An Inspiring Stroll Through Arkansas’ Crystal Bridges Museum

April 11, 2017April 11, 2017Leave a comment

I think at one point or another, we’re all either turned off from – or turned on to – different types of art; I’ve been enamored with the musical process since I was a little kid, but in first grade -after viewing ‘color by numbers’ as more of a competition to finish first than an exercise in observing the intricate nature of shapes and sizes – art (painting, drawing, sculpting and the like) simply just lost me.

A week in the South 💜✨ Throw on some old Mozart and we can talk, or let’s discuss the sociocultural importance of ‘Pope Marcellus Mass‘ – but the second you’d bring a Rembrandt or a Monet anywhere in my general vicinity and my boredom would be palpable. Living in Los Angeles, there are so many different venues to enjoy the arts – and so many different forms and iterations of the artistic process, that you nearly have to go out of your way not to enjoy them. Which, I did, for my first few years living here but I’ve learned that you’ll keep disliking the things you don’t like if you keep avoiding them, and the more I’ve jumped feet first into the deep end of the artistic process and finally, art has been making a splash everywhere I’ve looked.

A week in the South 💜✨

The Crystal Bridges Museum caused quite a stir when it was built, receiving outcries from more populous cities and snarky artsier-than-thou personalities from San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles and Chicago: why were historic contemporary pieces from the likes of Herring, Rockwell and Warhol being sent to the rural, deep South? Why couldn’t it be where a larger population, a more “educated” and “artistically inclined” population lives? But to me, the real question is this: why shouldn’t it be? Why shouldn’t everyone be able to enjoy art, especially when art is for everyone! Crystal Bridges is absolutely free to the public, proving that once and for all – no one, no matter where they live, should be deprived of art, of this beautiful process that is usually borne out of strife, out of the human need to connect and understand our emotional nature.

A week in the South 💜✨

But even between the LACMA, Getty Museum and Getty Villa, Broad Museum, Natural History Museum and Science Museum – I didn’t really get it until I went to Arkansas almost half a decade years ago. Because the art there did just what I know it will do for everyone in the town, bind them to our collective unconscious that we all tap into and remind them that someone, somewhere sees the world in the same technicolor vision that they do.

A week in the South 💜✨

Crystal Bridges is the reason I first fell in love with art, with the unexpected twists and turns of sculpted work and the obscure nature of three dimensional pieces; between the contrasting complexities of color patterns and shifts between shades of color; and it’s the reason I’m still falling in love with new artists, painters, sculptures and styles. The brainchild of architectural mastermind Moshe Safdie, best known for his Habitat 67, the grounds also offer a look into a Frank Lloyd Wright spectacle known as Bachman-Wilson House that had migrated from the Millstone River all the way up in New Jersey. The terrain of Crystal Bridges boasts gorgeous grounds and wonderful, winding trails that take you through the lush landscape and next to the babbling river that runs through the property. Last, but certainly not least – if you’re hungry or in need of something tasty to sip on, get your fix at their incredible restaurant Eleven. From signature drinks named after their collection of fantastic fine arts to the Pig Ear Nachos, I think it’s necessary to give it all a whirl -because you’re in Arkansas and you might as well enjoy yourself, damnit. Next time I come out for work, I’m planning my trip around making it to a weekend Brunch at Crystal Bridges so I can finally see everything the grounds have to offer, strolling leisurely through the museum, soaking up beauty around each and every corner.

For more on the Crystal Bridges Museum, or as I prefer to call it – the one not-directly-Wal Mart related reason to visit Bentonville – head to their website and socials.

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For more on my trip to Arkansas, including the glorious Southern food and beautiful scenery – head to my album here!

[LA Life] Lunchtime Libations at the LACMA

February 14, 2017February 14, 2017Leave a comment

Lounge Lavishly at the LACMA

Moving to a new city after college is equal parts exhilarating and exhausting, it’s a fresh start for a mature mind and a time and place when one truly comes into their own. The sights, sounds, and even smells surrounding you become synonymous with your new life as you breathe in the sunshine and the nightlife day after day. From live concerts, music festivals, and food trucks to the museums, art galleries and art walks, Los Angeles offers a little bit of everything for the creative spirit. Here we have me, eight years in and a bit stagnant, for lack of a better word. It’s not that I don’t enjoy what the city has to offer, but live here – or really anywhere – for long enough and you’ll begin to take the things that initially made your city so grand for granted. Unique locations like Hollywood and Highland, Venice, and Santa Monica lose their glittering grandeur and you’ll begin to curse the overcrowded freeway system instead of being enthralled by the distance from the snow to the sand, or the multitudes of live music venues and museums scattered around each and every nook of town. The arts offer us emotional relief and right now with everything going on politically it’s more important than ever that we all support our local galleries and museums.

Lounge Lavishly at the LACMA

Art and I have slowly but surely been coming to terms with each other. A self professed audiophile and lover of the arts, some specific fine arts like painting, portraiture, sculpting and drawing have been slow but sure to tickle my fancy in recent years. The more I see that the art world isn’t just full of lackluster landscapes and stuffy old people in silly clothing, but enamored scenes, surreal sculptures and peculiar pieces – the more I’ve come around. It’s taken a while to figure out which museums I should visit and which I might want to avoid, but the LACMA has a bit of everything for all, and amazing architecture to boot.

Initially part of the menagerie of museums at Exposition Park that were established in 1910, the LACMA broke off from the Los Angeles Museum of History, Science and Art in 1961 to give proper focus to the fine arts at a separate location and they opened their doors to the public back in 1965. Now celebrating over fifty years of the arts, the LACMA currently sits on twenty sprawling acres of land in the Miracle Mile area and has been a staple of artistic culture in Los Angeles ever since. Boasting a collection of over 130,000 works ranging from ancient art and antiquity to the contemporary art of now, the LACMA stands proudly as the West Coast’s largest art museum.

Lounge Lavishly at the LACMA

Located on a conjoined lot with the Page Museum and the La Brea Tar Pits, the LACMA complex consists of eight separate buildings and a sprawling green lawn, perfect for picnics. The Ahmanson Building houses the Art of the Pacific, the Rifkind Gallery for German Expressionists, Islamic, Asian and European Art, and Art of the Ancient World which is also hosted in the Hammer Building along with Korean and Chinese Art. The Pavilion for Japanese Art and Art of the Americas buildings need no further introduction while the Broad Contemporary Art Museum boasts paid exhibits, such as the Piacsso and Rivera Exhibition ‘Conversations Through Time’, an oddly immersive exhibit on the first floor and several areas devoted to contemporary collections.

Lounge Lavishly at the LACMA

For the multitudes of art that I find myself enamored by inside the LACMA, there are an equal number of awe inspiring architectural marvels and sculptures scattered around the grounds. One of the most popular is the ‘Levitated Mass’on the Fairfax side of the park, and the La Brea Tar Pits make for a fun history lesson, irregardless of your age. Not to mention, the Pavilion for Japanese Art oozes with incredible design that winds and weaves up and into the sky.

Lounge Lavishly at the LACMA

Open during the week from 11 to 5pm and weekends from 10 to 7, the LACMA has some fantastic food options. For lunch, there are always a bevvy of food trucks right across the way from the LACMA as well as some wonderful options within walking distance, including The Grove, and the Beverly + Fairfax Area. For a grab-and-go lunch on site, head to the LACMA Cafe, But if you’re down to lounge lavishly on the patio and people watch in comfort, then head on down to Roy’s and the Stark Bar. Yes, it’s a bit on the pricy side – but why not just pop in for a tasty beverage and a few sharable plates? My recommendation is an Urban Light drink with their Yellowtail Crudo, and then thank me later.

For more on the LACMA, head to their socials – or take a leisurely stroll into Los Angeles’ magical Miracle Mile area and see the museum for yourself.

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[LA Life] Gallivant Through The Gardens of the Getty Villa

November 4, 2016Leave a comment

The weekends are made for reveling and laxing; for shedding that thick skin you buiilt up throughout the week and letting your soul shine through in diamond delight for 48 hours. For those of us out on the North East side of Los Angeles, it’s also that one time a week that we’ll leave our pocket of the city and venture to Hollywood, Downtown, Long Beach, Malibu – little slices of our near and distant bubbles of life that feel like another planet entirely.

Built as an homage to the Herculaneum’s Villa of the Papyri, the gallery was curated back in 1954 and opened to the public in the 70’s. Back a several years ago, I took my first trip out west to the stunning Greek Inspired Getty Villa and marinated in the Greco Egyptian and Greco Roman artifacts and treasures. This time felt different. As we entered, we lingered in the gardens, lapping up the luxurious landscapping and gorgeous greenery each corner of the Villa had to offer.

Getty Villa

The Getty Villa is open from 10am to 5pm, Monday through Wednesday and parking is $15 before 3pm and $10 after. Good news is that tickets to get in are $Free.99, you’ll just need to reserve your spot online to get in; you can plan ahead, or just get tickets the day of. The food options, which admittedly aren’t why you come to a museum, are nominal but delicious – and the wine and beer selection makes for excellent Sunday Funday material.

For more on the Getty Villa, visit their socials – or just plan a visit!

[LA Life] Enjoy an Intellectual Double Date with the Natural History Museum and California Science Center

September 25, 2016October 3, 2016Leave a comment

Living in Los Angeles for the past eight years, you could say that I’m a bit spoiled from a cultural perspective – but to be honest, I really wouldn’t have it any other way. This city eats, sleeps, breathes and oozes keen artistic history and introspection, with interest piqued around each and every corner. No matter your age, or the last time you went, museums have the innate ability to inspire a sense of childlike wonder and amazement to come out and play. From Contemporary Art to Modern Art, archaeology and cultural history – museums provide a birds eye view into the beauty of the past and an intelligent projection of the future. Plainly put – a day wasted at the museum is simply never a waste.

Most museums in the area are essentially one stop shops – The Broad sits downtown and houses contemporary art, the Getty and Getty Villa are vast and stunning anthologies of history – but sit alone and secluded; but then there’s Museum Row in West Hollywood and the library of museums at Exposition Park, each home to several stunning venues of nuanced interest. Museum Row plays host to the LACMA, the Tar Pits and it’s museum as well as the Craft Art Museum and Peterson Automotive Museum while Exposition Park houses the Natural History Museum, California Science Center, USC Fisher Museum of Art and the California African American Museum. Since I used to live near the Tar Pits, I’m a bit biased – and some could argue spoiled – so an adventure West didn’t really strike my fancy; but a double date with the Natural History Museum and the California Science Center? Sign this kitten up for a dichotomous day-adventure, stat!

Exposition Park sits in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles, and is surrounded by the University of Southern California. My friends and I know the area best for the incredible music concerts, Massives and raves held at LA Memorial Colosseum over the last decade like Electric Daisy Carnival, Camp Flog Gnaw, How Sweet It Is, Nocturnal Wonderland and so many more. I don’t know whats more grown up than getting your knowledge on in the same place you got your PLUR on, so two points for us – at least. Spanning 160 acres, Exposition Park evolved from privately owned fairgrounds and a racetrack into a cultural center for young Los Angeles at the turn of the last century.

First things first, let’s talk some pro tips. The directions might tell you to enter the parking lot at Expo Park via Exposition, save yourself a headache and come in on Vermont with some cash, parking is $12 and they don’t accept credit cards. When visiting the Natural History Museum – save yourself some time by purchasing the tickets online; you can even do it while you’re waiting to get in.

World’s Largest Ammonite

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not much for artistic museums, less the Getty Villa and some incredible architecture; but historical fossils and technological progress always find a way to pull at my heart strings. Hands down, my favorite part of the NHM is the Gem and Mineral Hall. Each corner of the room sparkles with a technicolor glow with vibrant greens and blues which don’t make sense as minerals, iridescent shimmers and even some stones from outer space. Indoors you can wander and wonder through the Dinosaur Hall, American Mammal Hall, African Mammal Hall, Marsh environment and Insect and Bird exhibits. If you take the adventure into the great outdoors, you’ll get a prime view of Expo Park’s esteemed Rose Garden (more on that later!), the edible garden and a pollinators garden; easily one of the most tranquil areas on the grounds. In about three hours, we managed to meander through the entire breadth of the Natural History Museum, leaving no stone unturned (pun, slightly intended) – and with the perfect amount of time to visit our second stop!

The California Science Center is just a hop, skip and a jump away from the Natural History Museum – providing a wonderful contrast to the artifacts that you were just musing over. Olus, it’s free to get in and explore – while certain flight simulators and IMAX movies will cost ya between $5 and $12.. There are ample learning centers around the building, but before I get into that: there are also a good amount of food options to choose from! Though the NHMLA does have a quick service deli and sit down restaurant on their bottom floor, their food was no match for the Science Center’s food court. But, let’s get beyond our stomachs. The Cal Science Center eagerly explores global ecosystems and gets in a fair share of hands on learning. Stand in the splash zone or explore tide pools, stand in the middle of a hurricane, play with sound waves and wrap your head around the capsules that we sent humans to space in for days at a time (they’re tiny!).All the museums in the area open at 10 in the morning and close at 5pm, but it’s no reason to leave straight away. Take a stroll through the historic Expo Park Rose Garden and stay for sunset, you can thank me later.

For more on the Natural History Museum Los Angeles, the California Science Center and the Exposition Park Rose Garden – check out their social channels.

Natural History Museum: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

California Science Center: Website | Facebook | Twitter